I’m not well traveled enough to have sampled the dishes from Noma, Lima, etc. The only dish that I’ve had which was quite similar was the duck at The French Laundry about two months ago. I don’t think it was the exact same duck dish, as the menu changes almost daily (except for the “Oysters and Pearls” dish). But, we did have duck and lamb at The French Laundry, and they were both slightly overcooked just like the duck was here. The sauces, though, are pitch perfect at The French Laundry, and the sauce was perfect at In Situ, too. To answer your question: no I have not had any of the exact same dishes, but the duck was right at the level of a similar duck dish from The French Laundry.
I have every confidence that the In Situ kitchen is reproducing the dishes to a T. Chef Corey is extremely technical, perhaps the most precise chef in SF, and In Situ is learning the dishes of “participants” either by 1) the chef visiting and teaching the crew in person (e.g. James Syhabout of Commis), or 2) a chef sending in a detailed recipe complete with pictures (e.g. Seiji Yamamoto of Ryugin sent in 43 pages, 126 photographs for his one dish). It’s not that In Situ is experimenting to recreate a dish, it’s that the “participating” chefs have agreed to share their exact recipe with In Situ.
I am curious, however, about some ingredients or cooking methods native to another place/restaurant that are difficult to reproduce in San Francisco. Saison isn’t participating, but if they did, would In Situ recreate the live burning hearth and smokestream to dehydrate the beet for Saison’s “Fire in the Sky” beet? Maybe that’s why Saison isn’t participating - their cooking setup is fairly unique and not reproducible in a conventional kitchen. Also, I forgot to ask if the seaweeds from Central’s “Octopus and the Coral” were local seaweeds or seaweeds like the ones used in Peru (did they import them)? The provenance of the kombu does make a difference.
With that said, I don’t want to wholly write off a dish from one of the partnering restaurants based solely on not liking its iteration at In Situ. I could say that I didn’t like the effect in my meal at In Situ, but unless I’ve tried the food at the restaurant and at In Situ, I’ll say that the dish’s original context and place in the flow of the menu could have benefitted the dish. There’s some room for imagination that a dish which may not have impressed that much here could be better received at the original restaurant. But what you’re left with is a rare opportunity to get a good feel for each of these dishes a la carte.
